US responsible for failure of defense ministers to meet, China says

China's Defense Ministry said on Thursday night that the United States was "fully responsible" for the absence of China-US defense chief's meeting during the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Laos.

The ministry spokesman Wu Qian made the remarks in response to recent US media reports that claimed that China refused to hold bilateral meeting with the US due to the latter's recent arms sales to Taiwan region.

"The US cannot, on the one hand, harm China's core interests on the Taiwan question. While on the other hand, engage with the Chinese military as if nothing has happened," he said.

The spokesperson emphasized that the immediate priority for the US should be to correct its mistakes, genuinely respect China's core interests and strive to create favorable conditions for high-level exchanges between the two militaries.